July is much more about you that you’ve been allowed to experience in a long, long time.

A tender moment of personal clarity kicks off the month, and high-energy conversing and connecting close it out. In between, self-indulgence is in the stars, for everyone. Come out and play! Strut your stuff! Wear gold jewelry to the beach! Dress up for grocery store runs!

Sparkling, fun energies pervade the first ten days, with Venus and Mars both in Leo, enlivening interactions and actions alike. A flurry of chaos erupts when Venus squares Uranus July 2, shooting off plot twists and surprises and demanding attention, validation, and anteing up.

What’s important in and for the long run settles in immediately, courtesy of the Capricorn Full Moon July 3. Its trine to Jupiter has the potential for emotional stabilizing and seeing satisfying growth in long-term goals and security. Jupiter’s enlarging powers, however, could exaggerate feelings of lack and life as drudgery. If that is your experience, rewarding yourself for what you have accomplished could soften it.

A bent for details, organizing, and cleaning up kicks in when Mars enters Virgo July 10. Direct some of that motivation to self-care and improvement; Venus in Leo will appreciate the attention. Mars’ move into fussbudgetry doesn’t bring the atmosphere down, however. He is passing the Leo baton – or crown – to Mercury, who enters the sign July 11 and keeps the atmosphere gregarious and expressive, if somewhat self-involved.

All those characteristics go over the top when Mercury squares Jupiter July 17, the big action day of the month. Everyone has something to say, and how. “Nobody puts Baby in the corner” is a pervasive sentiment. “Baby” isn’t just a pet name, though; it may be how a lot of people are acting. The Cancer New Moon is squaring Chiron, heightening tenderness and sensitivity and making some of us all too aware of fundamental anxieties and needs. Be kind to yourself as you set intentions. The nodes are shifting today from the resource-oriented Taurus/Scorpio axis to the Aries/Libra axis, emphasizing the balancing act between being an individual and being in relationship.

And then the fun well and truly begins. On the very day that the Sun enters Leo, Venus extends the sign’s firepower and influence by stationing retrograde. She sashays backward from July 22 to September 3, bringing the past to mind, to your inbox, and even to your door. Since she’s the goddess of love, money, and creativity, old flames and passions may spark, and old projects may pop up for reworking or resuscitating. Don’t be taken in by glitz and glamour; all that glitters is not gold, and Venus retrograde occurrences may not have the value they present. Revisit; catch up; but don’t assume that they’ll endure. (Or that you really want them, now.) Keep on strutting.

Perceptions shift when Mercury squares Uranus July 23. The impact delivers shocks and insight, which could break the hold of your opinion of some of those retrograde ghosts – or your opinion of current situations as compared to those ghosts. You land in a happy place. Thoughts align with current desires, and it’s easy to express yourself at Mercury’s conjunction to Venus July 27.

Their meeting may bring the peak Venus retrograde experience. As the cosmic messenger pulls away, he brings discernment, an analytical bent, and objectivity to our minds and information flow. Mercury enters his earthy home of Virgo July 28, where he’ll stay until October 4. He’s enjoying his turf for a longer than usual stint, because he’ll be retrograde August 23 – September 15, overlapping the last two weeks of Venus’ retrograde. Pay attention to details. They may end up being relevant to you – the focus of your life, for now.

Re-blogged on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Kathy Biehl.